As you may have heard, Guardians of the Galaxy did ridiculous business over the weekend, raking in $94 million in these United States of America. That shattered the previous record for an August opening and bested even the most optimistic predictions.

I was among those ticket buyers, having missed the advance screening and curious to see what all the hubbub was about. I liked it pretty well, though I feel I was a tad oversold by the talking raccoon lobby. Herewith, five thoughts on the summer’s surprise smash.

1. The Internet noise suggests this is a movie fans take seriously, as in “If you don’t like this movie you hate all that is sacred in this world.” As a critic I’ve never quite understood this line of thinking. We all have different tastes, and it’s not like Guardians desperately needs champions. Then again, it’s fun to argue about movies, and such passionate support speaks to this one’s rabid word of mouth.

2. Some, including Variety, have proclaimed the Guardians success a watershed for Marvel, evidence that even the company’s minor titles will now turn into titans. I don’t buy it. The masses flocked to Guardians because their friends told them to, because the marketing was smart from the jump, and because its cuteness factor speaks to female audiences that don’t always go for the superhero thing. Does that automatically mean the same stars will align for Doctor Strange or other second tier Marvel titles? Of course not.

3. Superhero movies have grown more serious in tone since The Dark Knight movies (which I adore) showcased the prestige of gloom. Guardians, so open in its frivolousness, presents the counter-balance. It’s goofy, cheery, light and airy. It insists on having fun.

4. Chris Pratt is cool, but Michael Rooker is a treasure. No, I don’t think he’s why anyone went to see Guardians. But the brassy Alabama-born character actor is my favorite thing about the movie. I can listen to his drawling snarl all day, even when he’s painted blue.

Earlier this month, the Executive Producer, Erin Prather Stafford, invited me to come and review Wonder Women!. So, on Saturday night, my wife and I took a little trip down to the Dallas Museum of Art and into their Horchow Auditorium to witness a most compelling documentary on the Superheroine and her impact on American society and the Feminist Movement. In most documentaries you can expect a certain amount of dryness, but not so in Wonder Women!.

I was enthralled by the lengths gone to to explore the beginnings of comicdom and the sense of impact the medium has had on the American Culture. Wonder Woman and Lynda Carter‘s portrayal of the character on television were given primacy as the symbol of female strength, but it didn’t stop there, the film included the contributions of many of comic’s, television’s, and film’s strongest female roles.

As the documentary points out, it is kind of ironic that Wonder Woman was seen as such an empowering female figure when she spent much of her early life as an image of submission and weakness. A reader only has to look at what DC turned Wonder Woman into in the 60s, they took her power and put her as the head of her own clothing boutique. It is amazing to find out, however, that it was the work done by the women at Ms. Magazine that got Wonder Woman‘s mystical powers back into the comics. Women empowering women is really what this film was all about.

As it turns out, men still hold much of the production power over how women are portrayed in the media. Some, such as Joss Whedon, use that power for good (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer), while others, DC and Marvel have a tendency to use it for bad (DC’s New 52 take on Catwoman and both companies’ oversexualized portrayal of women). Many productions and publications are still relunctant to hire more female creators (again, DC and Marvel). My hopes, and I’m sure the creators of this documentary feel a like sentiment, is that this film and others like it can put a more female empowering message out into the culture. To the Director, Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, and those behind her, I praise your accomplishment.

The audience was awarded a question and answer period with Erin Prather Stafford after the show and below I have the questions I asked and her answers.

Marvel and DC hire few female creators. Do you feel that this film and the creators behind it are helping to change that?

Stafford: I would hope that we are inspiring more inclusion in their publication. There are some creators out there and we hope that their numbers will continue to grow.

When Wonder Woman killed Maxwell Lord, she broke the superhero code not to kill in DC’s Universe. Do you see that as empowering or villainizing?

Stafford: It is hard to judge, in one way it is empowering, but I would just hope that it doesn’t paint a picture that Wonder Woman can’t be strong without being violent. During the DC reboot, they changed her, she is more masculine. They have added to her strength, but it takes away from her compassion.

The Wonder Woman movie is continually thrust back into production limbo while male characters are breaking box office records. How do you see this situation?

Stafford: I think that the last few years have seen an increase in strong female characters in film. We have had the Hunger Games, Brave, the Black Widow in the Avengers movie, and Anne Hathaway‘s portrayal of Catwoman. I feel that these works have helped to strengthen the female character and I think this would be a great time for the Wonder Woman movie.

Joss Whedon was once attached to the movie and then he turned around and did great things for Avengers. I just hope that whomever gets to work on the film does a great job. If you look at the Elektra movie and Halle Berry‘s Catwoman, you can see that Hollywood has a trend of making subpar female-headed action movies and then blaming their failures on the fact that a woman had the lead role. I just hope they do a good job.

After Marvel made the announcements this week that Dennis Hopeless would be writing two new series (Avengers Arena and Cable and X-Force) for their publication, I was curious to find out who this Mr. Hopeless might be. I had never read anything he had written and I didn’t recognize the name, so I thought I would do some research and share it with you all here.

Turns out that Hopeless has written for Marvel before. His first work with Marvel was Legion of Monsters (2011) with Juan Doe. His next was X-Men: Season One (2012) with Jamie McKelvie & Mike Norton. While I can say that I’m not really surprised that I missed his first outing, I am quite ashamed that I missed his second. I do believe (from what other reviewers have said) that X-Men: Season One would be a great jumping on point for all fans looking forward to All-New X-Men due out in a few months.

Hopeless has a tendency to focus on female leads in his writings, as seen in his works Gearhead (2007) for Arcana Comics and Lovestruck (2010) for Image Comics. You’ll also notice that both Legion of Monsters and X-Men: Season One have prominent female leads. There are a number of female characters in Avengers Arena and one of my favorite female mercenaries, Domino, is in Cable and X-Force. It is quite nice to see a creator focusing on the female perspective of the superhero genre when this medium has forever been a boys club. It would be nice if we could get more female creators in the mainstream as well (I’m looking at you Axel Alonso and Dan Didio).

Hopeless has received a number of good reviews across his body of work and I, for one, am looking forward to his new books coming out soon. Stay tuned to this fella because he might very well be going places.Continue reading →

While doing research every week for my blog, I continue to find one thing to be true…the market is very over-saturated. The reason I decided to talk about it this week is because of a new graphic novel being released by 50 Cent.

Now, I haven’t read this graphic novel and I am in no way saying that a rapper putting out a graphic novel is a bad thing. What I am saying is that the fact that even rappers are now getting into releasing comics is a huge sign that the market is becoming over-saturated by the sheer numbers of different titles coming out on the stands. Marvel and DC put out over a hundred comics a month between the two of them and that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface off of the heap of comics that come out.

So, in an over-saturated market, there are only a few things you really need to do to decide what books are going to be right for you and which writers to read. Do know that most of this will require research and some internal exploration on your part.

The first thing you need to do is decide which genre of comics you like to read the most. The best way to figure this out is to look at the other forms of entertainment you are into. What types of movies and TV shows you like to watch, what are some of your favorite books and magazines, even what type of music you listen to can be a great indicator as to which comics will be right for you. After you’ve done a little self-analysis, the best thing to do next is go to the comic book store and find some comics that fit your genre. If you don’t know or can’t figure out which books fit your genre, don’t be afraid to ask the people behind the counter at the comic shop. That is what they are there for and if they can’t answer your questions, you might want to find a better comic shop.

After you have read a few books, you’ll start to figure out which characters you like and which writers are right for you. However, if you feel like you haven’t found a thing you like, follow step two. Go online and do some research on which comics are critically acclaimed and awarded. There are several different review sights and a few different awards groups to look through. Read several reviews done by the same writer to see if his opinions match your own, this would also require you to read the same issues the reviewer read. Once you have a reviewer you respect, either pick up some of the books he reviews highly or feel free to email the reviewer and tell him what you’re up to and maybe he/she will recommend some books.

This should help send you down the road to happy comic book reading, but before I go, there are two groups of readers I still need to address.

If you are like me, there are certain characters that you love to read. I have read Wolverine for years and I have been following The Amazing Spider-Man since Brand New Day started (I know some of you just rolled your eyes, but if you couldn’t overlook the retcon, then it’s your loss, not mine). You really have two choices on how to handle your superhero groupie status. One, like in the case of myself reading Wolverine, you can read every issue that comes out for that character. Two, like when I read Thor (I’ll be picking up Jason Aaron‘s new series), I only pick up issues that feature some of my favorite writers. I like the character, but only when he/she is well written. What you have to do here is decide how committed you are to the character and buy from there.

The other group are those trying to find a writer or artist to follow. You like to pick up everything a certain creator is working on. The easiest way to do this is to go to your local comic shop and talk to the people behind the counter, especially if they have been reading comics for a long time, and see who they like. Give that creator a spin and see if you disagree. If your comic shop is like mine, the owner has a whole section of the store dedicated to his/her favorite creators and has a number of their works there for retail. The other way to do this is to do research on forums, review sites, and awards group sites.

The point I’m trying to make is that there is a way to find the great comics in the middle of all the muck and mire of the mundane comic masses. It just requires a little research and a little internal appraisal.

I normally leave my opinions about comic book movies for after my main article, but I was so happy with how The Dark Knight Rises turned out that I had to make it my main article. As always, it is not much in the way of a movie review, but rather how the story played out compared to the comic.

I’ll let you all know now that this article is very SPOILER heavy and that is why you can’t read it unless you click over.

See you there.

In the meantime, I thought I would regale you all with my usual click-over contributions.

DC Comic Review of the Week

Supergirl #11

!!!Spoiler Alert!!!
I felt that Michael Green and Mike Johnson, co-writers, did a pretty good job with this issue. The first page is a wonderful look into how an alien might look at life on our planet. Yet, on the very next page, we learn just how alienating our world can feel to outsiders.

There is a strong motif in this issue about the way foreigners come into America only to face alienation and segregation. If you don’t think so, look at the city you live in. Go down some of the roads you don’t normally go down and see if there aren’t certain areas of your city that are predominantly made up of one culture or another.

Supergirl #11

And it is not just the way we treat other cultures. There is another theme in this issue, a theme of separation. When Kara walks in on Tommy, he overreacts to her seeing him in a towel. When Kara goes to swipe a couple of slices of pizza from a waitress, the waitress yells at her and doesn’t care about whether she has hurt someone’s feelings. Both instances are cases of a stranger invading our personal space. Most of you read these sentences and found no issue with the way Tommy or the pizza girl behaved, but that is because we grew up in a society of separationists. There are other societies that share their personal space and their food without agitation.

Mahmud Asrar draws a darn good comic. Though sometimes his anatomy seemed blocky, I felt that he has a great overall storytelling capability. There were only a few instances where I felt a need to see more emotion and in a medium of stunted expressions that’s saying something. I also really like the homage to Terminator 2. I don’t know if that was the writers’ idea or Asrar’s, but it was pretty great. For those of you not in the know, I’m talking about the part where the cop turns into a liquefied metal monster.!!!Spoilers Ended!!!

I was privileged to receive an email from Paul Ens, Co-Founder, that included both of June 27th’s Atomic Robo releases.

Red 5 Comic Reviews of the Week

Atomic Robo Volume 7 #1

Atomic Robo Volume 7 #1: Flying She-Devils of the South Pacific

Atomic Robo is awesome! Brian Clevinger writes an amazing story. I had only ever read one other issue of Atomic Robo and he gets comic books. Comics are meant to be fun, action-packed, and adventuresome. There was a lot of exposition in the second half of this issue, but he used that space to explain everything the reader needs to know about the characters. He also does a great job of setting up the next issue. I loved every page.

Scott Wegener draws beautiful lines. His art has a wonderful illustration quality to it that is missing from most comics today. It reminds me of the Saturday morning cartoons I used to watch in the 90s. It’s grown-up art with a lighter side. I feel happy when I’m looking at his pages.

Click on the article for the rest of this review and all of the other stuff you’re all used to.

I was privileged to land an interview with Brent E. Erwin, COO of Ape Entertainment out in San Diego, California. Ape’s Sales, Marketing, and Retailer Resources are in Fort Worth, so these are still local boys.

From seeing you talk to artists at the Dallas Comic Con, I could tell that you are a fan of comics. Can you tell us the story about the first comic book you ever read?

Sure, I would be happy to. One of the first comics for me was Micronauts #19, which was based on a really popular toy line in the 70’s. Full of sci-fi action about little 6 inch-warriors from a place called the Microverse who came to Earth. Totally fun comic and I had all the toys too.

What inspired you to want to work in the comic book industry?

My inspiration to work in the comics industry came from my childhood love of comics. I loved the excitement of getting a new comic every week with cool characters and stories. I loved the art and the episodic nature of comic book story telling.

I had worked on the retail side of the comics industry owning my own comic shops for years before going over the business side of comics. I worked for Diamond Comic Distributors, Acclaim Comics, and Wizard Magazine before Ape was founded. I met my business partner David Hedgecock in a small-press comics organization called the UFO (United Fanzine Organization), where we quickly became friends. David and I wanted to take the next step beyond photocopied mini-comics and that led to the birth of Ape Entertainment.

Describe a day in your life as COO of a comic book publishing company.

Well, I’m in the office and working by 9:00 AM. The first thing up is usually Ape’s marketing and advertising projects, then I handle a few business calls with the printers to check the status on the projects we have there. Next up is a call with Diamond, our distributor, to check in on where in the distribution network our products are. I try to fit in a little creative work every afternoon; I develop new projects and coordinate any running projects that I am in charge of during this time. I usually end my days around 6:30 or 7:00.

I noticed on Ape’s website that the company does a lot of creator owned publications. How did Ape start getting involved in these types of publications and why is it important, as a company, to do these types of publications?

Yes, Ape has done a lot of creator-owned publications over the years. They started really from the beginning of the company. We saw friends in the industry struggling to get their work published. Most of it was so good that we knew right away that they needed a chance to have it seen by comic fans and we could not pass up on the opportunity to get it into print. I think the importance of creator-owned properties keep things fresh at a company like ours. New creators bring in fresh perspectives with projects that are new and innovative; that’s the biggest importance to creator owned properties.

Didio’s statement at Kapow! led many to believe that it would be a character that has not yet been revealed in the DC New 52, but played a prominent role in DC’s universe prior to the reboot. Batman writer Scott Snyder confirmed on Twitter that the character would indeed be one that has not been seen in the New 52.

Marvel’s previously announced wedding in Astonishing X-Men is confirmed Tuesday on ABC’s The View to be a wedding between two homosexual characters, Northstar of X-Men and his non-powered boyfriend Kyle. This was the most speculated outcome and, therefore, was not a surprise to most readers of the franchise.

The Comic “Nerdom” began to try to predict the identity of DC’s “new” gay character. Some readers still are. Some in the community tried to understand the meaning behind DC and Marvel’s moves to incorporate homosexuality into their respective universes. Some attempted to draw meaning about the American Culture based on these events. In response to all of the “hype” and publicity, various creators from both companies talked about the events and their ramifications.

Marvel publicized the marriage event further by showcasing a variant cover to Astonishing X-Men #51 on Rollingstone.com.

One Million Moms asked both DC and Marvel to halt publishing stories about homosexual characters. You can find out more about another comic book related protest by One Million Moms here.

The Scottish Parliament member Marry Fee motioned to acknowledge Marvel’s fictional gay wedding and states that homosexual marriages should not be restricted from literature and the fantasy world.

I want to accomplish two things this week. First I would like to show all of you who usually don’t click over, what you are missing each week. Second, I would like to talk about the things “The Avengers” got right from a comic book reader’s perspective.

!!!Warning: There Are Spoilers For “The Avengers” When You Click Over!!!

First, what you usually miss:

There is normally a comic book review. This week’s comic is published by Image. I do a Marvel book review, a DC book review, and a Webcomic review each month. The fourth week, this week, is left open to all of the other comic book publishers out there.

Random Image Comic of the Week

Epic Kill (Parental Advisory)

I like to think that I can put a positive spin on things from week to week and try to see the good in every comic I review, but I’m gonna have to make an exception this week.

Epic Kill was awful. I haven’t ever read anything else by Raffaele Ienco and, if I based my entire opinion on this book, I never would again. The art looks like something done with extremely blocky CGI. The story is uninspired. It’s Kill Bill all over again, except this time there is even less of a plot. The dialogue is harsh. It didn’t feel natural at all. The private monologues were terrible. Stan Lee didn’t use this much exposition. The only saving grace of this whole book was the cover.

No Spoiler Alert this week because I’m going to encourage you not to read this.

Grade: 3 out of 10

Then there is the Fanboy Moment of the Week, where I talk about the coolest thing that I saw in comic’s news this week.

Fanboy Moment of the Week

I love pointing out great, fun art and I think this link to bleedingcool.com is full of great, fun art.

Next comes the Nerd Rage of the Week. A nerd rage is when a nerd gets mad about nerdy things. I don’t always write one of these because I don’t always find something to be mad about (I see that as a good thing).

Nerd Rage of the Week

I can’t believe that the new Ultimate Spider-Man animated series sucks, but Joshua Aitkenheadand Grace Randolph hit the nail on the head when they say that the series’ characters don’t fit their original characterization and that the series doesn’t draw in the viewer, respectively.

I’m all for a “movie-verse” and a “cartoon-verse,” but the writers should at least try to make the series recognizable to fans of the comics.

Then I like to ask my readers a question pertaining to that week’s main article. This week’s question will pertain to the article that you click over to, but it will contain no spoilers.

Question of the Week

What was your favorite part of “The Avengers?” Also, did the movie bring up any questions you would like to ask a comic book reader?

Lastly, I like to advertise for any local comic book retailers who want free advertisement on my blog.

Weekly and Upcoming Comic Events:

If you are a comic shop owner and would like your weekly or upcoming events listed here just email me and I’ll add you.

Two weeks ago, I set out to discuss whether or not a B-Class hero could carry their own solo book. I don’t think that I fully addressed this issue and I would like to rectify that this week. It seems I left out the part about what can make a book a success.

The first and foremost need for a new solo book is to have a need for its existence. Sometimes solo books are just put out because a random writer comes up with an idea for a character and the publisher runs with it. To some extent these types of books can work. However, one only needs look at Jason Aaron’s run on Punisher MAX to see that these types of books can fall flat when no one notices them. They are gaining in popularity now because of the rise in popularity of the writer, but the book’s sales were so lackluster that Marvel stopped publishing. Now, what I mean by a need to exist is that the book needs to fill a gap for the publisher, not a sales gap, but a continuity gap. I think the new Captain Marvel book fits in this gap because Carol Danvers is about to become Captain Marvel and the question left in continuity is why she has become Captain Marvel and what that means for her and the rest of the Marvel Universe. I think that something similar could have been done with Marvel Boy/The Protector, if Marvel had really wanted to back that character.

On the other side of the gap coin is where the other two upcoming solo books (Hawkeye and Gambit) lie. This side of the coin is where there has been enough of a fan outcry for a solo book that the publishers can no longer ignore it. Wolverine continues to carry his own solo book on his popularity alone no matter how good or poor his creative team is. Marvel has said before that sales jump when Wolverine is on a cover of any given book, no wonder he has a solo book, but popularity can sustain no man, that is why Wolverine has had a number of secondary solo books crash-and-burn over the last few years. Let us not forget Wolverine: The Best There Is.

This is where the second need of a successful solo book comes in. The book has to have a stellar creative team. Again, this cannot work on its own that is why it is the second need and not the first. Yet, I don’t think Batman would be where he is today if it wasn’t for the likes of Grant Morrison, Judd Winick, Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Jeph Loeb, Ed Brubaker, Geoff Johns, Neil Gaiman, and the most recent fan favorite arc being written by Scott Snyder. It almost never happens that a no name writer is put on a book and it takes off, but there are exceptions.

The third and fourth needs of a successful solo book really fit under one hat, the hat of luck. I know that sounds lame, but the last two needs are that the book needs to fit a niche not currently filled by another book and the book has to come out at the perfect time for that book to come out. I think that Captain Marvel fills both of these needs, but I’m not so sure about Hawkeye and Gambit. Captain Marvel fills a void of interstellar or cosmic comic books; Marvel has a few of those floating around, but not a book that is consistently in that realm. This book also comes out at a time when comics are in need of positive female role models, this is a current point of contention with some fans and this is a great move by Marvel to satiate those that feel left out.

I don’t think that Hawkeye is filling a niche; I think that we currently have plenty of espionage/secretive comics coming out from Marvel. But, I do think the timing is right because he is one of the main characters in the Avengers movie coming out and that might help him gain a reader fanbase. Gambit fits a niche void because the writer says that he will be playing up his thieving skills and, as far as I know, there are not any “thief” books being put out by Marvel. That kind of fits under espionage/secretive books, but it is different enough to become its own niche. I don’t think that it is coming out at a particularly great time though. There is nothing out in the mainstream to make outside readers really care about a Gambit book. The only movie he was in was out a few years ago and he isn’t currently in any cartoon on television. Bad timing on Marvels part, but maybe they don’t think so.

These are all great things to help a book sell, but none of it can happen without us, the readers. So, when it all boils down to it, all a new solo book really needs is for us, the fans, to care about it. You can’t show you care if you don’t buy it. Buy one. Buy all three if you can afford it, but at least give one a try.Continue reading →

Located at 1110 West Main Street, Lewisville, TX, owner Terry Black only recently set up shop. Read on to learn a little more about both the owner and the shop.

For how long have you been a fan of comics? Which comic book drew into fandom?
I have read comics for almost 40 years. When I was a child my uncle owned a convenience store that sold comics. Whenever we went to their store he would give my brother and I a couple comics to help us learn to read. The Batman and Fantastic Four comics were my favorites then.

Which comic books are your favorites to read?
Right now, I enjoy Batman and Walking Dead the most. They are both very well written.

Are there any books that are low sellers that you think fans should pick up more of?American Vampire, Walking Dead, The Boys, and Chew. There are a lot of independent titles that fans seldom hear about.

Are there any local conventions you would like fans to know about?Dallas Comic Con on May 19-20th

Are there any other local events you would like fans to know about?
As always, we like fans to keep coming in for weekly comics and game tournaments.

How else are you involved in the world of comic books?
At the moment, not in many ways. We’re a new store and just getting our feet under us.

What other types of cool stuff do you sell at your store?
Comics, Action Figures, Board and Card games, plus an always changing selection of collectibles and unique gifts for fans.Continue reading →

This is not an article bashing Diamond Distributing’s PREVIEWS, but, rather, a thought or two on whether comic book previews are spoiling the fun of reading comics.

In a tech-savvy world, filled with television, movie, and literature spoilers, how do we as fans feel about “privileged” information “leaked” by publishers?

When I sat back and thought about this question, I had two initial reactions. First I thought, cool, I get to see some inside-the-comic pages and find out what will be happening over the next few months of storytelling. Secondly, and more importantly in my opinion, I thought about how, when I read spoilers, it tends to dampen the impact of actually reading the comic.

Marvel is the worst offender when it comes to spoiling their own content. They will actually post on their own website the first 5+ pages of content in an upcoming release. I found that when I read the pages and then picked up the comic, I was skipping the pages that I had already read. Think about that for a second, not only is Marvel charging $3.99 for a 20-page book, but now since the first 5 pages have been spoiled, I am only reading 15 pages of content for $3.99. That just doesn’t seem right to me. Granted, Marvel is not the only offender, I just think that they might be the worst.

When it comes to creators spoiling work by talking about what is coming up in the next few months, I think it takes away from the surprise of finding out by reading the comic. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I get sucked in by the promise of finding out what Ed Brubaker has to say about “Avengers vs. X-Men,” but I think that this type of information takes away from the fun. It takes away from the adventure.

I’m not calling out for some sort of revolt by fans against spoiler information, I’m just asking all of you to sit down and think for a minute about whether these types of “leaks” are actually adding to your enjoyment of the medium. If it is, then I am happy for you, but if it isn’t, maybe it’s time for these publishers to look into new ways of hyping up their content. Maybe like what Marvel has done so far for “Spider-Men.”Continue reading →

Normally this part of my post is delegated to news and information about comics. I felt that the release of “Saga” warranted its own blog post.

!!!Spoiler Alert!!!
As to the title, no they are not royalty and this story would be a “what if…” Romeo and Juliet hadn’t killed themselves, but eloped and had a baby. There is no denying the book’s connection to the “children” of sworn enemies finding love in the middle of an embroiled, bitter feud/war. All that and it’s set on worlds never before seen.
!!!Spoiler Ended!!!

Brian K. Vaughan knocked this out of the park. I hate baseball analogies, but that is the best way to phrase it. “Saga” is shaping up to be one of the most brilliant sci-fi epics to be published in comic book format. The aspect of Vaughan‘s writing I love the most is the realness in his characterization. You can feel his characters. You can taste the words that come from their mouths–making his dialogue my second favorite aspect of his writing. I fell in love with Vaughan‘s abilities while reading “Y: The Last Man.” Regrettably, I have yet to pick up “Ex Machina,” but I intend to rectify that fact as soon as possible.

I had not ever heard of Fiona Staples prior to reading this first issue, but I do believe I am smitten. I feel it deep inside my gut that she could draw anything and I would love it. You can tell that she most likely will be drawing any and everything that Vaughan can dream up just by looking at the issue’s only two-page splash.

!!!Spoiler Alert!!!
The first page has to be the funniest opening to a comic that I have ever read and I’ve read every issue of “Cable and Deadpool.” If any of you know anything about a woman giving birth, you know what this is talking about. The issue begins with the birth of the two main characters’ child and quickly accelerates to the reason behind the birth taking place in a mechanic’s garage–they are fugitives from two warring worlds. This is where the Romeo and Juliet-type story comes into play.

Marko, the father, is a Wreath foot soldier and escaped war criminal. His wife, Alana, is a Landfall soldier whom had been reassigned to the planet Cleave because of her cowardice in battle. This is where she ran into prisoner Marko and they ran off together to share their love, wed, and conceive. This leads to the story’s present, where the three main characters are miraculously unharmed in the middle of a fire-fight between the two warring species. Afterward, they are given a map by the grease-monkey whom had sold them out to their hunters. This map is to lead them to an escape vessel that apparently grows on a tree. Oh yeah, there was a brief interlude that gives you the background of the story that includes gratuitous robot mating (disturbing) and the assignment of one of the said robots to hunt down our protagonists by his father, the king. This robot is of a species unrelated to the two warring species, but one which has chosen a side in the confrontation. Look at it as war profiteering.

After the interlude, we are brought back to our main characters. They are arguing over their course of action and we find out who really wears the pants in the relationship. This is followed by another interlude. We are sent to Wreath to witness the assignment of a mercenary named “The Will” to hunt down, kill Marko and Alana, and bring their baby back to Wreath. The designs for “The Will” and his companion, a Lying Cat, are very reminiscent of Ozymandias and Bubastis from “Watchmen.” Now we know who all of our players are and the book is ready to close.

As the main characters near a vital bridge on their map, they are witness to a battle between their two species. A battle that has destroyed the bridge they must cross. Marko tells Alana that they will find a way to the escape vessels as they are watched by many glowing red eyes from within the forest in the last page’s background.

Truly beautiful work.!!!Spoiler Ended!!!

I don’t think that I need to expound upon what I have already said about “Saga.”

I never really was a fan of Smallville. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea, I just never got into the show. I think that if I got the chance, I would certainly watch all of the seasons now that they are all on DVD.

Any-who…Smallville Season 11 will be a digital first comic book starting on April 13th and written by the show’s main scribe, Bryan Q. Miller. Print versions will be collected as the comic continues. The first of such print versions will be available on May 16th.

I think that TV shows, especially fantasy fiction and sci-fi ones, making their next season into a comic is a fantastic idea. The show has already ended, but the fans are still allowed to continue their journey with the characters that they fell in love with. I think the fans of Joss Whedon‘s Buffy can attest to the benefits of changing mediums. A comic book’s special effects budget is only limited by the artist’s imagination and artistic capabilities. It also opens up plot ideas that would probably never be done on television, which opens up the list of available tools the writer is able to use.

Making the book a digital first book also opens up the realm of digital comics to a group that may have never gotten into digital comics before. I think that if DC (and Marvel for that matter) took some of their other properties that have been on television (namely the cartoons) and turned them into digital comics, then they might see an increase in digital sales. I think that the same could be done with some of the movies that have been released. Who wouldn’t like to see the latest Batman trilogy get turned into its own alternate universe in a digital comic format?

I try my best each week to bring my readers news about the coolest, at least in my opinion, comics news from that week. I try not to contradict myself (read the Fanboy Moment), but sometimes opinions change. I try to stay positive and to be psyched about the news topic…but sometimes, especially on a slow news week, I just have to go with the big news item of the week and tell you all how I really feel about it.

It had been announced last week that DC Comics will be publishing a line of books under the title “Before Watchmen.” I must say that the graphic novel, “Watchmen,” was one of my favorite stories written by Alan Moore. Yet, this “prequel” smacks of a desperate attempt by Warner Bros. and DC to make a quick buck off of any viable property that they own.

I have no doubt that these writers will tell the best stories they can tell about the “Watchmen” characters, but what most of the mainstream news won’t understand is that this graphic novel is a part of its writer. These characters are Alan Moore‘s creations and they lived within his mind for, I’m guessing, years before they ever came to life for readers.

Moves like this, made by big corporations whose only intent is making money, just makes me sick. According to bleedingcool.com‘s coverage, Moore didn’t even want DC to make this move. This is just like when they do a remake of an old hit movie; the remake can never find the magic of the original.

I enjoy the work of a number of the writers that are set to create these sequels, but I just don’t think they can ever get inside the world of “Watchmen” in a way that will resemble the artistry and nuances of the original. They simply cannot live in the mind of Alan Moore.

Some of you may be asking yourself why I would title this week’s post as Comics for Kids. Some of you are thinking, “Aren’t all comics for kids?” This, my friends, is a common misconception. Truth be told, comic books’ target market is made up of males and they are aged 18 to 35. Therefore, most comic book publishers release a children’s line of books.

The Avengers will be written by Chris Yost and Ultimate Spider-Man will be written by Dan Slott. These promise to be very cool comic book series.

We’ll go back to the subject of the appropriateness of comics for kids. It seems interesting to me that most publishers clearly mark their comic books with an age guide. Yet, inappropriate material still seems to end up in the hands of children. What I don’t seem to understand is that novelized fiction does not come with any sort of an age guide, but we don’t see children running around with copies of Lolita or Helter Skelter.

I think this all has to do with awareness. I think that comic books and information about them should be included in more prestigious magazines and newspapers alongside reviews of movies, television shows, books, and music. I think the same should be done for video games, but this is an article about comic books. If parents were made more aware of the content within modern comic books, I don’t think inappropriate material would end up in the hands of children.

I think that awareness is not only the responsibility of the publishers, but it is the responsibility of workers within a comic book shop, of librarians in our city and school libraries, and especially of parents.Continue reading →

The other big crossover event to come in 2012 is between Superman, Superboy, and Supergirl. This crossover event should prove to be interesting because Superman and Superboy have not yet met and Superman and Supergirl don’t necessarily get along. The event is set to take place this summer.

The reason I bring this news up is because I want to talk about crossovers. Crossovers have always been a very fun time comic books. They usually involve some of comic book readers’ favorite characters and it puts them in situations that they almost would normally never get into by themselves. It is especially fun when characters from two different publishers crossover into each other’s books or for a special event. It’s been a while since Marvel and DC Comics did this and it will probably be a long while still before we see that again.

I can remember reading Marvel versus DC. It was basically the Avengers versus the JLA, but it included members outside of each team. We got to see Lobo versus Wolverine, Spider-Man versus Superboy, Captain America versus Batman, Superman versus the Hulk, Thor versus Captain Marvel, and many other fine exciting fights. It also led to the creation of the Amalgam Universe, which was the smashing together of different heroes to create new and wonderful heroes, like Dark Claw, who was a combination of Wolverine and Batman. That was probably one of the coolest things to ever come out of Marvel and DC, yet, except for a crossover in 2003 titled JLA/Avengers, we haven’t heard anything from that in a long time.

Crossovers are just so much fun. I wish we could see that kind of thing in real life. I guess we kind of do, like when police officers, firefighters, and EMTs come together to save the lives of people in burning buildings and horrible car accidents. It’s pretty cool if you really think about it, how all of these heroes come together to make our world safer.

Beginning a new year always makes me think over the previous year, how things went, and how they could have gone better. Yet, these thoughts only last for a moment because I realize that the year has ended and I can no longer do anything to make the events within seem brighter.

Speaking of endings, I thought this would be an appropriate time to talk about endings within the realm of comics. There is the end of a series and the death of a character to think about, but with news of creators Bryan Hitch and Andy Diggle both leaving their exclusive contracts with Marvel, I thought it more pertinent to talk about the end of a creator’s run on a series, or their leaving a publisher.

I can remember the first time I had one of my favorite creators leave a book–when Jim Lee stopped drawing for X-Men and left Marvel to help launch Image Comics. It was a very sad day to be an X-Men fan. Nonetheless, as a fan the only thing you can do is sit back and hope that the next guy doesn’t royally screw things up.

I’m not saying that the professional moves made by creators really impact the fans’ lives in a life-changing way, but I am saying that the absence of a favorite creator can lessen the enjoyment taken from the comics that you buy.

Hitch has been one of my favorite artists since Alex Ross and I believe that his highly detailed work will be much sought-after once he is on the free market. However, I won’t miss the fact that he caused many shipping delays for Marvel and much heartache for rabid, story-hungry fans. Awfully nice guy though. I was at a panel he spoke at for Marvel back when Wizard World’s convention was in Arlington and he would sign anything you put in front of him for free.

Andy Diggle is a treasure. My favorite work of his was the Dark Reign: Hawkeye miniseries back in 2009-2010. I hear that he has done wonderful work on Daredevil and I plan on reading it in trade paperback when it comes out.

Hitch and Diggle were not the only Marvel creators to tell the world that they were quitting work on Marvel projects though. Jason Aaron will be ending his run on Wolverine and Brian Michael Bendis will be ending his run on Avengers, both in 2012. I feel that Aaron will be leaving at the top of his game on Wolverine and that is always a great way to go out. However, I think Bendis is due for a change and I am looking forward to some new takes on the Avengers. I said more about that here.

While all of this news will have very little impact on the readership of long-time fans, there will be an overall change in sales over the next two years for Marvel. We might see a resurgence of popularity in the X-Men books, we might see DC start to outshine Marvel in sales in the long run, or we might even see a hard reboot from Marvel. As fans, we can only look forward to 2012 and hope that they don’t royally screw things up.Continue reading →

One of the most difficult things about being a fan of comics is helping others (significant others, friends, or family members) understand, appreciate, and even possibly share in your love of comics.

Some of you may be thinking, “How does this apply to me and why should I care?” Simply put, either you yourself are trying to get someone you know to enjoy comics, or you know someone else who is and you can help them with this advice. You may be trying to become interested in comics yourself.

This week we will look at various aspects and difficulties surrounding the acquisition of new readers from within your social groups. We’ll do this by looking at some of the common questions and complaints about comics.

Skeptical friend: “Comics are for kids, why would I want to read comics?”

The truth about comics, for the most part, is that they are geared toward a very similar group of consumers to video games–males age 18 to 30. There are a number of books you cannot even buy unless you are 17/18 or older. The comic shop I frequent even has a portion of the store that is blocked off from minors because of the content of the books. Even those that are left in the “non-parental advisory” section are quite violent and filled with action sequences that put most big Hollywood blockbusters to shame. Most of the themes that the books cover are quite mature as well. Marvel’s Mutants have always been a metaphor for those who are socially disenfranchised. They represent anyone who might be considered a social outsider. Comic books often talk about death and the afterlife. They confront societal crisis like 9/11. Some have even touched on such “taboo” subjects as sexuality and religion. Comics aren’t just for kids.

With the publishing of DC’s New 52, individuals and groups have come out to voice their opinions about how different aspects of characters have an impact on readers in the form of role models.

The first question that comes to my mind as a consumer is whether or not superheroes should even be considered role models for anyone. In my opinion, saying that a superhero should be a role model is like saying that a rock star should be a role model. We don’t listen to music for moral discernment (at least most of us don’t), so why would we read comics to learn how to be a good, upstanding (fill in the blank here)?

Nevertheless, seeing as how I am of the age of potential reproduction (I’m married, so calm down), I felt that it would be pertinent to analyze an aspect of comics that I have always found to be somewhat lacking in the form of proper role models–parenthood.

I will not profess to have a working knowledge of every parent-child relationship in comicdom. I will, however, talk about the relationships I do know and those that are most prevalent in the eyes of the mainstream readers. In other words, I’ll be talking about Marvel and DC.

There seem to be two main parenting types in the superhero community. There are parents who allow their children to participate in deadly situations and those who stay away from the child for the safety of the child. I feel that in both cases the children tend to suffer.Continue reading →